Dear industry colleague,

	The swine flu pandemic is a reminder of the need for good global sanitation practices and policies.

There is often a strong correlation between poor plumbing practice and disease outbreak, as is suggested by the current outbreak of Swine Flu A(H1N1), as well as the 2007 Foot and Mouth Disease and 2003 SARS crises.

In the case of this latest potential pandemic, fecal matter contaminating the runoff water from a local pig farm in Mexico was suspected of being the starting point of the H1N1 strain. Swine flu sanitary problems

The situation highlights the important, yet underrated daily work undertaken by the plumbing industry, which provides the First Line of Defense against the spread of disease.

It is vital that when outbreaks such as these occur, plumbers and engineers are consulted – in combination with health officials and governing bodies – to help find long-term solutions.

You can find these excellent technical articles at www.worldplumbinginfo.com.